Two weeks remain to claim free insulation

Leeds residents have just over two weeks left to claim their free insulation from Wrap Up Leeds.

The Leeds City Council-backed scheme offering free cavity wall and loft insulation comes to an end on Friday 26 October when the hotline closes to new requests.

In a bid to help as many people as possible and thanks to an extension in funding, the original cut-off date of September was extended.

So far nearly 8,000 people have had their cavity walls insulated, their loft insulated for the first time or their existing loft insulation topped up.

And with a definite chill in the air and many people reaching for their heating controls, these residents will soon start to reap the benefits of spending less to keep their homes warmer.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a fully insulated home will save around £300 a year in energy bills.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for the environment, said:

“The clock really is ticking now for anyone who hasn’t yet taken advantage of this fantastic offer.

“The chance to benefit from completely free cavity wall or loft insulation will be coming to end not just with Wrap Up Leeds, but nationally when these types of offer will be replaced by the Green Deal.

“I can’t stress just how important it is for people to call the team and get registered. We don’t want people to miss out on hundreds of pounds worth of savings on their fuel bills.”

Councillor David Blackburn, chair of the council’s cross-party environment and climate change working group, said:

“It’s that time of year when people start to put their heating on, but some people are in the desperate situation when they want to heat their home but know they can’t afford to.

“Wrap Up Leeds can help. Your personal circumstances won’t affect your eligibility – you just need to own your own home or rent it privately and it needs to be suitable for cavity wall or loft insulation or a top up.

“As well as the all-important saving on heating bills, we can help Leeds become a cleaner, greener city with homes cutting their carbon emissions.”

Anyone thinking of getting a head start on their Christmas shopping can also benefit from Wrap Up Leeds’ refer a friend offer.

£20 of high street vouchers will be paid to anyone who refers a friend to the scheme who goes on to have their home insulated with Wrap Up Leeds.

The refer a friend offer is also open to schools and community groups.

Wrap Up Leeds launched in January 2012 and is a partnership with Leeds City Council and Yorkshire Energy Services with funding from EDF Energy.

Call 0800 052 0071 or apply online at www.wrapupleeds.co.uk.

The 0800 number is free from most landline providers, but may not be free from mobile networks. If you would prefer, please call Wrap Up Leeds on 01484 351 779.

Or contact Wrap Up Leeds on enquiries@wrapupleeds.co.uk.

About Wrap Up Leeds

Wrap Up Leeds is available to all homeowners and privately renting tenants (where landlord’s permission has been granted) in the Leeds City Council area only.

Free cavity wall insulation, loft insulation (where less than 60mm of loft insulation currently exists) and loft ‘top up’s’ (where more than 60mm but less than 160mm of loft insulation currently exists) are available under the scheme.

A free, technical survey of the property will confirm that the work will definitely be free and much larger properties or those that need extensive scaffolding may be asked to pay a contribution towards the work.

Savings of £1,653,750 on energy bills is estimated to be saved from Wrap Up Leeds which is based on installing cavity wall insulation in 6,000 homes, laying insulation in over 3,000 empty lofts and ‘topping up’ a further 5,850 lofts.

The ‘refer a friend’ offer applies to individuals, schools and community groups. Anyone can refer a friend regardless of whether they have had insulation installed themselves. £20 high street shopping vouchers will be given to the referrer. The vouchers will only be honoured if the friend’s property is insulated with at least one measure under the Wrap up Leeds scheme. The referral must be made before the application is processed. The referrer’s name, address and telephone number, must be provided with the referral. The referral must be made by returning the card or giving details over the phone.